The poll found 40 per cent of B.C. adults support or are leaning towards the NDP in the next provincial election, scheduled for May 2013. That’s a two-point increase since the last Angus Reid survey in March, the first outright lead for the NDP since Gordon Campbell resigned as premier a year ago.

The B.C. Liberals fell to 31 per cent support, a 12 per cent drop since March. The main beneficiary is the resurgent B.C. Conservative Party, which attracted 18 per cent of voter intentions.

In the B.C. Interior and North, one in five surveyed support the B.C. Conservatives, while the NDP maintained a substantial lead in Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island.

Premier Christy Clark continues to lead on the question of who would be the best premier, with 25 per cent compared to 19 per cent for NDP leader Adrian Dix. B.C. Conservative leader John Cummins was the choice of nine per cent, with two per cent favouring B.C. Green Party leader Jane Sterk.

The NDP’s current lead is smaller than the near-50 per cent support the party enjoyed in Campbell’s final months, when the B.C. Liberals slipped below 30 per cent support amid controversy over the harmonized sales tax.

Personal approval ratings remained steady from the previous poll, with Dix at 40 per cent and Clark at 39 per cent.

The Angus Reid survey was conducted online, with 803 B.C. adults taking part from Oct. 31 to Nov. 1. Its margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 per cent.